The present invention relates to a support and restraint structure for passengers standing in a public transport vehicle which provides something for them to grip in order to avoid being thrown off balance or falling when the ride becomes rough.
Passenger transport vehicles, particularly public urban transport vehicles such as buses, trams and metros, are designed to accommodate both seated and standing passengers with preference being given to standing passengers so that more people can ride, particularly during rush hours.
For this reason, public transport vehicles are generally equipped with support and restraint devices which the standing passengers can grip when the vehicle turns, brakes, or accelerates, preventing them from being thrown off balance, being jostled or falling, thus eliminating danger to the passengers and those nearby.
The goal of the invention is to provide a support and restraint structure with a particularly advantageous shape that can be installed on the side of a seat in a passenger transport vehicle.
Two types of devices are conventionally in use in public transport vehicles at present: hand grips and restraining bars.
The support grips are shaped like loops that can be seized at the bottom and are suspended from the vehicle ceiling. They may be made of a flexible strap such as that described in Patent Application No. FR 2.401.796 or they may have a rigid body such as the hand grips disclosed in application Nos. FR 2.471.881 and WO 93/02891. These grips may either be fixed or articulated at their upper portion near the area of attachment.
Suspended hand grips can only be used by one person at a time. In addition, they are installed at a fixed height and cannot be adapted to the height of different passengers. Thus, children or adults of small stature cannot generally reach them. Ironically, these grips also cause difficulties for tall passengers, since they reach the level of their heads. Aside from these two extremes, the fixed height of the grip is often an uncomfortable position for passengers.
Conversely, the restraint device according to the invention comprises quite an extensive contact area allowing several passengers to hold it simultaneously without crowding each other or the nearby passengers. It can also be gripped over a considerable and continuous range of levels, thus providing a comfortable support for passengers of any height.
Restraint bars affixed to passenger seats are also known in the art. Some of these extend and project from the back of the seat. Thus, they extend transversely into the aisle, decreasing the amount of free space and interfering with passenger circulation.
Other restraints extend above the upper extremity of the passenger seat, for example, the device described in Patent No. EP 0 167 680. In this case, the support area offered is limited and generally allows only one person to hold it. Thus, in actuality, the useful surface of these bars is very limited. Furthermore, in use this type of bar is often bothersome for the passenger occupying the seat. Vertical bars are also known in the art, such as those described in Patent Nos. EP 0 769 416, FR 2. 445.780 and WO 95/16258. While these bars may be advantageously installed against a wall or in a fairly large empty space within the vehicle, they are not at all adapted to placement in an aisle between rows of seats, as their considerable size significantly reduces the space available to passengers.
In contrast to these known systems, this invention proposes a support and restraint structure of reduced size with an almost completely usable surface that allows several passengers to use it simultaneously and in comfort.
To resolve this technical problem, the support structure according to the invention consists of a closed tubular perimeter which may be shaped like an elliptical loop. This device is preferably either attached to the side of the seat of a public transportation vehicle or mounted on the vehicle body, with the ellipsis plane being perpendicular to the back of said seat, that is, lateral to the seat. Thus, the restraint structure of the invention does not disturb either the passenger seated in the seat which forms the support for attachment or the passengers who wish to circulate inside the vehicle.
The support and restraint structure according to the invention is fairly large in size and extends well above the upper extremity of the seat back that forms its support. Therefore, it offers a particularly extensive area to grip in both length and width and it can be used comfortably and simultaneously by several passengers of any height. However, because of its shape and advantageous arrangement, it occupies only a small amount of space.
The support and restraint structure of the invention may further comprise one or more tubes, for example, horizontal tubes, extending transversely inside the ellipse, further increasing the amount of gripping surface available.
The support structure of the invention is particularly well adapted for attachment to the side of a seat. However, it can just as well be placed on a pillar, a wall, a vertical portion of the vehicle body structure, or any other suitable location in the vehicle.
The general shape of the outline, with its inwardly curved branches and rounded corners and gripping zones, increases the safety of the passengers gripping it; if they are jolted, contact with these surfaces would not injure them.